Outdoor Life

Guess who’s coming to dinner? Wednesday evening, Allie Edelstein, 15, was relaxing on her lakeview swing when she noticed a large alligator crawl out of the water and onto her family’s sandy Lake Dora shore. Wisely, Edelstein high-tailed it into the safety of her Mount Dora home.

The following day, an electrician on a service call at the home spotted the 9 ½-foot gator in the same location. At one point, he noticed an eagle landed on the reptile and later vultures appeared, which make the outlook grim for the gator.

The homeowner, Laura Varich, eventually threw boards at it to send it back into the water or confirm its death. Drawing no response, she confirmed the latter. Varich is now the recipient of an unwanted Florida Mother’s Day gift -- an oversized, decomposing reptile.

Varich will not be upset if someone would like to adopt the beast as their own. Happy Mother’s Day!​​For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. Find out what's happening locally with just a tap on your phone by downloading the area's free mobile app. Monthly issues of Mount Dora Buzz are available here.